The Dallas Cowboys needed a new quarterback after seeing Dak Prescott suffer a season-ending hamstring injury that required surgery in 2024. Both backups, Cooper Rush and Trey Lance, became free agents at the start of the offseason. Rush has since signed with Baltimore, while Lance has yet to generate any public interest.
Though Will Grier is still on the roster, the Cowboys always have playoff expectations and they understandably wanted a more capable backup. Well, they just got one with star potential.
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New England Patriots trade Joe Milton to Dallas Cowboys
The New England Patriots found their franchise quarterback last year by selecting Drake Maye with the third overall pick. They also snatched up rocket-armed QB Joe Milton in the sixth round.
Milton spent most of the season on the bench before playing in the Patriots’ Week 18 finale and getting a win over a Buffalo Bills team resting several starters. Still, Milton impressed with his arm and his legs, which was a continuation of what NFL evaluators saw during the preseason when the rookie wowed in his debut.
With Maye entrenched as the starter, some began to wonder whether the Patriots would consider trading their 25-year-old backup QB. We just got a definitive answer.
According to NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport, the Patriots have agreed to trade Milton and a seventh-round pick to the Dallas Cowboys in exchange for a fifth-round selection.
It’s a bit of a surprise that the Patriots couldn’t get more for Milton, who was selected just a year ago and showed some star potential as a rookie quarterback. While he had a small sample size of film to evaluate, he is still a quarterback who has shown promise. Evidently, the Patriots preferred to get an immediate return on their investment, even if it led to a small dividend.
Related: Dallas Cowboys linked to two quarterbacks, one in free agency and one in 2025 NFL Draft
